Ah Jing Ah

Overview

Ajing'a was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner of the Ayan Gioro clan, residing in Dalang Village. The year he submitted to the Qing dynasty is unknown. The official Qing dynasty genealogy, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, Volume 18, directly records that he himself served as a Zuo Ling (military officer). His grandson Sartu served as Zhengyiwei (military officer in charge of ceremonial duties), Zhalin as Deputy Guanling (military officer in charge of internal affairs), his great-grandson Alin as Blue-Lanched Guard, and Hetuo as Hujunxiao (military officer in charge of guards), and his great-great-grandson Baozhu as a Guanling. A Zuo Ling was a low-level administrative officer in the Eight Banners, responsible for the household registration and military records of his subordinates; it was not merely a general cavalry command title. His bondservant status indicated a specific affiliation. Zhengyiwei belonged to the Luanyiwei (Imperial Guard) ceremonial officer system, participating in ceremonial duties such as guards and carriages, a role different from the internal Guanling's management and supply responsibilities. Blue-Lanched Guard retained the rank of guard and could not be simplified to First-Class Guard; Hujunxiao belonged to another military unit. The original record does not specify the specific prefecture or institution to which Ajing'a's Zuo Ling position belonged, and the positions of his descendants do not prove that he himself ever managed the imperial guards. The modern location of Dalang Village, the time of his tenure, and the paternal lineage of his two grandchildren are still to be verified, but his status as a Zuo Ling (military officer) and the official positions of his descendants should be clearly separated.